1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to vacuum cleaners or similar appliances adapted to be utilized in either a floor supported or hand carried mode and, more particularly, to a handle construction which is convertible quickly and easily to accommodate selectively floor supported or hand carried modes of appliance operation without imposing serious limitation on the size or shape of the vacuum cleaner or like appliance to which the handle is applied.
2. Description of the Prior Art
U.S. Pat. No. 1,558,006 of Fisker, Oct. 20, 1925, and U.S. Pat. No. 3,758,914 of Nupp et al, Sept. 18, 1973, each discloses an elongate handle pivoted to a vacuum cleaner with means for securing the handle in either an extended position for floor supported use of the cleaner or a retracted position along the cleaner for a hand carried mode of cleaner use. In each of these patent disclosures, the length of the handle adequate for floor supported use of the appliance dictates an awkward, abnormally long length of cleaner body for handle accommodation in the hand carried mode.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,203,707 of Anderson, Aug. 31, 1965, discloses a convertible handle for an appliance which handle includes pivotally interconnected segments which, in a hand carried mode, provide a cumbersome array of folded handle parts over the appliance body restricting access to the appliance and limiting proximity to which the appliance may be moved relatively to furniture, fixtures, and the like.